TikTok Declined Commitment to Stop US Data Flows to China

TikTok, a social media platform, has declined to commit to US lawmakers if it will stop sending US user data to China. Instead TikTok has promised to negotiate with all US national security concerns.

This hearing comes after national security legislation in China, which demands companies to cooperate with data that has been a matter of concern in the United States. Many people believe that China can also access US data in order to identify intelligence targets, and agents. It can even be used to shape false information.

During their hearing, Vanessa Pappas, chief operating officer of TikTok, argued during the hearing over the corporate structure of TikTok before being asked for a specific request. When asked, Vanessa Pappas stayed silent when asked if ByteDance will protect the US user data from the Chinese government and if China will have any influence on the app.

Vanessa Pappas reacted to the BuzzFeed report by saying the allegations were not found. She also added that a master account was mentioned that the company does not have and does not know whether the engineers work for TikTok or ByteDance.

Later, in the hearing, she acknowledged that people in China can access the user data from the United States but also emphasised that the security measures were seen by its security team based in the United States.